ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Overreaction at Saddleback

In Eastern Europe people are demanding a right that America’s Founding Fathers saw as fundamental: freedom of expression. Too often in this country, however, we concede this right grudgingly to those with views different from our own.

Take the case of Saddleback College’s newspaper. The Lariat was strongly criticized this week for an opinion article and cartoon by journalism student Michael S. Boren that accused Israelis of being “fanatical” and willing to resort to using nuclear weapons to protect Israel’s claimed “divine right to Palestine.” The cartoon depicted a menorah with nuclear warheads bearing the Star of David in place of candles. The caption: “We Wish You a Happy Holocaust.” Boren said that he was attempting to make a point about the danger of nuclear weapons. Now he stands accused of being anti-Semitic.

Faced with community outrage, top college administrators urged the Lariat to publish a retraction and apology. Lariat editors refused, issuing a statement defending Boren’s First Amendment rights while regretting any distress he may have caused. Now, Chancellor Richard J. Sneed is considering ending financial support for the newspaper. That’s an overreaction.

Setting aside our own sharp differences with Boren’s approach to the issue, he has a constitutional right to express his views, and the Lariat has a right to print them. Those who object also have a right to protest. That’s where the matter should end. Lariat faculty adviser Carol Ziehm put it best when she said: “What we are talking about here is something precious--freedom of speech. It is very difficult to work within that realm without (provoking) some strong reaction.”